Ilkley coach Morgan eyes bumper gate against old club Harrogate

Ilkley coach Morgan eyes bumper gate against old club Harrogate

ILKLEY’S head of rugby Rhys Morgan is looking forward to a big day on Saturday.

His ninth-placed Dalesmen face North Premier derby rivals Harrogate, who are four places and 11 points better off, at Stacks Field.

He said: “I never thought when I took over at Ilkley that we would be playing Harrogate in a league match, and this is the first time.

“But it just shows how far we have come as a club and how Harrogate have struggled in the past few years in National League Two North.”

Morgan was at Harrogate for eight years, twice skippering them to Yorkshire Cup glory before taking over as coach for two seasons, but quit in May 2006, citing a lack of committee support.

He said: “We normally get about 300 for our home matches at Ilkley, but given a good afternoon’s weather on Saturday, I would like to think that we can top 600, but to do that we will need the support of the Ilkley public.”

Ironically, Ilkley would have hosted Harrogate in a semi-final of the Yorkshire Cup on February 24 had the Dalesmen beaten visitors Doncaster Phoenix last Saturday, but they lost 22-21.

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